3M Palace Theater

137 Walnut Street,
Colorado City, TX 79512

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Rowley United Theatres Inc.

Functions: Live Performances, Movies

Styles: Art Deco

Previous Names: Palace Theater

Phone Numbers: Box Office: 325.829.7708

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News About This Theater

PalaceĀ© Theater..Colorado City TX

The Palace Theater is a small 732-seat theater adjoining the Baker Hotel building. It had opened prior to 1923. It was equipped with a Wurlitzer type O organ. It had a vertical sign attached to and extending from the front of the building that spelled “Palace” in white letters on a blue background. By 1957 it was operated by Rowley United Theatres Inc.

Renovations were carried out in 2007 and it reopened as the 240-seat 3M Palace Theater.

Contributed by Don Lewis

Recent comments (view all 11 comments)

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on December 12, 2006 at 9:07 pm

There is a March 1987 photo on this page:
http://tinyurl.com/yaax7s

chadhauris
chadhauris on December 7, 2007 at 1:00 am

The Palace Theatre in Colorado City has now re-opened and is called the 3M Palace Theatre. I have not been able to attend a show there but will soon.
It looks almost exactly the same as the photos here, only the top part is now beige with the same red stripe designs, and the vertical “Palace” sign is now gone. The marquee looks exactly the same.

For a while in the early 2000’s the theatre was a secondhand store. The concession stand area looked pretty much intact but all the theatre seats had been removed.

Here is a myspace page with some information about the theatre and a small current photo.
View link

Don Lewis
Don Lewis on February 19, 2008 at 4:43 am

A 1987 photo of the Palace in Colorado City.

gabegrote
gabegrote on July 23, 2010 at 3:21 pm

The palace was bought 4 years ago and is OPEN. They are in the process of restoring it to its former glory.

As of July 2010:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gabegrote/4821242062/

Jay Harvey
Jay Harvey on July 4, 2013 at 1:27 am

I lived with my brother and his family in Colorado Springs TX in the summer of 1991. There wasn’t much to do in this town and one hot day strolling uptown, my nephew and I found this closed theatre. It wasn’t even locked! We decided to explore, being movie buffs (and still are). Everything was very dusty as I remember. The first thing I remember seeing was the concession stand. The popcorn machine still had popcorn in bags ready to be purchased, hot dog weinies (very wrinkled by this time) in their machine ready to be bought also. One sheets were scattered on the counter, Ruthless People, Top Gun, Ferris Bueller-still have them in my collection-It was if this place had just closed like always for the night and was ready to be opened the next day, just didn’t happen. We were wanting to explore behind the huge movie screen, all seats were intact, but we didn’t have a flashlight and it was very dark inside the auditorium. We braved going upstairs because the windows allowed some light to shine through. We found the projector room with the huge, shiny steel green projector that was ready to be run again. Next door to that room was a room filled with dozens of film cans, some had movies in them and some were just empty reels. By this time I being the older of the 2 of us, thought we had better be leaving, because we were tresspassing after all. Still remember this day vividly!!

malcolmdbc39
malcolmdbc39 on April 9, 2014 at 5:45 pm

I was recently behind the 3M Palace in Colorado City. There is a natural gas compressor piped into the building. It no longer looks useable, but I believe at one time, some theaters were cooled with dry air this way. I had read about it, but never saw one till now.

marcus36
marcus36 on July 9, 2017 at 6:19 am

I maybe interested in leasing this theatre. please contact me.

Al

spectrum
spectrum on March 20, 2021 at 1:23 pm

Checked Google Maps. The current (2019) photo shows that it is still open, showing movies.

dorstar
dorstar on October 15, 2022 at 2:59 am

I wonder if the natural gas compressor was actually a Typhoon air pump for the Model “O” Wurlitzer pipe organ they used in the theatre.

dorstar
dorstar on October 15, 2022 at 3:00 am

In 1923, Mitchell County deed records show that the Palace Theatre was sold to Walter W. Whipkey by Ralph & Sadler, the original owners of the theatre.

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